How To Repair A Canvas Painting

How to fix a torn canvass

By Artists & Illustrators | Tue 20th April 2022

If you need to repair a tear in a canvas painting, Lizet Dingemans shows how it'southward done with a minimum of fuss

Picture the scene. You lot hang your latest oil painting on the wall, just to observe out the nail was weak and the motion-picture show falls. Equally it hits the flooring, your beautiful work of fine art gets snagged and the canvass now has a tear straight through it. The painting is unsalvageable… Or is it?

No affair how careful we are with our artwork, occasionally canvases volition rip – whether accidentally or otherwise. Some of the most famous paintings in the world have sustained damage over the years and take needed repairs made to the canvas. In fact, even The Night Watch by Rembrandt was slashed with a pocketknife in 1975. Luckily, restorers managed to fix this artwork and it is nonetheless on brandish to this solar day – proof that what at first can seem like a complete disaster is really pretty repairable.

How can I repair a canvas?

In that location are actually a few different ways of repairing a sheet:

1. Lining the whole sheet
2. Threading the fibres dorsum together
iii. Applying a patch

In this guide, I will explain how to apply a patch, which is the easiest method to restore a ripped sheet.

Before we beginning, however, it is of import to consider if this is the right option for y'all. For instance, the size of the tear is important. Anything larger than a third of the painting volition accept to be dealt with by a professional person restorer as a patch won't hold it. Likewise be aware that bigger tears may require you to repaint some of your picture. If you don't want to do this, you lot should likewise accept the painting to a restorer.

What glue should I use to prepare a sail?

Finally, a give-and-take on adhesives. There are several options for applying your patch. Rabbit-skin glue was the traditional choice of the Sometime Masters. The glue often comes in pellet form and needs to exist dissolved in hot water earlier application. Every bit a size, it is not very stable and will shrink and swell with varying levels of humidity. Traditionalists similar to use this glue as its apply has been well documented throughout the ages.

The other choice is PVA. PVA resins are a relatively new material. As the water inside the glue evaporates when drying, the resin particles move closer together forming a continuous picture. Quality varies, and so it is a good idea to go with an artists' quality brand. I used PVA Bond, which has practiced stability and does not yellow.

A guide to repairing a torn canvas

Lizet's materials

A damaged painting
A piece of a similar canvass, at least 2-iii cm larger than the rip
Pair of scissors
PVA Bond
A damp rag
Paint, brushes and a palette knife (for touching upwards)

i. Assess the harm

how-to-fix-a-torn-canvas-1

It is important to brainstorm by assessing the extent of the damage to the canvas. I will be repairing a portrait on canvas that has about a two-inch rip on the top right. This happened when a stand was accidentally knocked over and the corner went right through the canvass as it was leaning up against the wall. The rip is only small, and information technology is non in a detailed part of the painting, so it is perfect for fixing with a patch.

two. Apply the patch

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The hugger-mugger to patching is to exercise it from the back of the canvas, not the front. Information technology is actually non that hard, nor do you need materials that you lot are unlikely to have in your studio or at domicile already. The canvas does non need to be taken off the stretcher – information technology is actually easier to repair a canvas when it is stretched as information technology is stable and taut.

Offset by cut a piece of canvas nearly 2-3cm bigger than the tear. The goal is to get the fibres of the sail to line up also equally possible before applying the patch. I am working with a linen canvass hither, but if you are using a cotton wool sail consider using a damp rag to apply a footling moisture to the back of the canvas – information technology may loosen the fibres and make it easier to close the gap.

TOP TIP Lay the canvas patch on the back of your painting to come across how it fits earlier gluing

3. Glue the patch

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Apply the PVA to the sail patch and brand certain the fibres are flush with the original sail. (If you are using a primed sheet patch, which I would recommend, brand certain the primed side faces the back of your damaged canvas). Press down lightly and make sure no PVA escapes through the tear on the other side of the canvass. If it does, just wipe information technology away with a moist cloth.

Plough your attending to the painting side of the canvas now and gently push the two sides of the tear together as much as possible in order to brand the fibres line up. Make sure to do this relatively apace as the glue will be drying equally you lot go.

4. Let the patch dry

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Rest the canvas painted side down. Place a weight on the back of the patch to hold everything in place and leave the PVA to set for at least 24 hours. When it has fix, plow the canvas over and the front of the painting should look something like paradigm 4. Every bit y'all can see, the white primer on the canvas patch is showing through the tear. Allow the PVA ready properly earlier touching upwardly the pigment, otherwise information technology may loosen over fourth dimension.

five. Touch upward the paint

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Now your patch is on, nosotros tin start retouching the paintwork.

If you lot were repairing an acrylic painting, you could apply a filler, such as Golden's Gel and Moulding Paste, to fill up in the gap and give a level surface over which to paint. Oil paint volition reject an acrylic-based filler, even so, and so I recommend filling in any sizeable gaps with thick oil pigment instead, applying it with a palette knife and blending it using a brush.

This is where your artistry can come up in. For larger tears or impasto paintings, you can choose to modify the appearance of the painting by going over it with thicker layers of paint. If it is a smaller tear or a painting with more subtle brushwork, you can attempt to lightly blend in the touched-up patch with the rest of the painting. Information technology all depends on the size and location of the tear and your personal painting style.

6. The final work

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When viewed close up, some of the tear is even so visible, but I am pretty happy with the overall results when it is viewed from a distance. I promise you have success with your repairs too.

How to stretch a canvas
How to prime a board
How to choose a frame for your painting

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